Describe the situation here:
Students don't clean up after labs, and the teacher has to spend at least half an hour at the end of each day cleaning the lab area.
Understanding the Situation
a. What might be some underlying causes of the situation that you need to think about?
The students aren't getting enough time to clean up at the end of the hour. The teacher isn't giving reminders when there are 5 minutes left of class. Students don't know where things belong or there is no set place for things to go. Students are lazy and there is no consequence for their laziness.
b. Are there resources within your school that might be of help? If so who and what questions should you ask them?
c. Are there other resources that might be helpful?
A Solution
As a teacher, you will often try to address problems by preventing them. That said, things happen in classrooms that cannot be anticipated beforehand and you will have to make decisions about how to address the situation.
In this section, be sure to:
a. Decide whether your action is proactive (action aimed at preventing problem) or reactive (action occurs after situation develops).
b. Decide what grade level you will "solve" this problem for.
c. Describe what you'll do.
d. Describe how you anticipate your action(s) will affect the situation.
A proactive solution would be to establish a procedure for students from the beginning of the year in which they require a signature at the end of each lab period (either each group or each individual) in order to "check out." This will signify that their lab station is cleaned up, and things are put away. Without this signature, there will be a five point (or whatever is appropriate) deduction in the lab grade. This could be used for just about any grade level, though for a lower grade, some extrinsic motivation other than a grade may be appropriate, such as a "perfect lab check-out" prize. We would hope that this will establish clean-up as some easy points in the beginning of the year, and will become second-nature as part of a lab period as the year goes on.
A reactive solution would be to tell students that they aren't playing by the rules and are being punished by having the privilege of labs taken away.
Solution Consequences
Before you act to address a classroom situation, you have to anticipate possible consequences of your actions.
Use this section to spell out some of these effects:
a. How will you action be perceived by your students?
We don't think that students will perceive this negatively, especially since it's being presented at the beginning of the year, and if it is presented enthusiastically as "easy points," they may appreciate it. Also, it's not an unreasonable request, and the teacher should explain reasoning behind this so it does not appear unreasonable. Also, "How would you feel if you came in the lab and found your lab bench to be a mess?"
b. How will your action affect the learning climate in your classroom?
It should make it safer, more efficient, run more smoothly, since students are aware of the procedures right from the beginning.
c. What might your students learn from your action? (Be sure to note both positive and negative lessons.)
Students could learn responsibility, respect for other's property, respect for the teacher's time, how to take ownership of the classroom. (positive)
Students could learn that they have incentive to clean up, and that if they don't have this incentive, then why would they clean up after themselves? You may also
The Situation
Describe the situation here:
Students don't clean up after labs, and the teacher has to spend at least half an hour at the end of each day cleaning the lab area.
Understanding the Situation
a. What might be some underlying causes of the situation that you need to think about?
The students aren't getting enough time to clean up at the end of the hour. The teacher isn't giving reminders when there are 5 minutes left of class. Students don't know where things belong or there is no set place for things to go. Students are lazy and there is no consequence for their laziness.
b. Are there resources within your school that might be of help? If so who and what questions should you ask them?
c. Are there other resources that might be helpful?
A Solution
As a teacher, you will often try to address problems by preventing them. That said, things happen in classrooms that cannot be anticipated beforehand and you will have to make decisions about how to address the situation.
In this section, be sure to:
a. Decide whether your action is proactive (action aimed at preventing problem) or reactive (action occurs after situation develops).
b. Decide what grade level you will "solve" this problem for.
c. Describe what you'll do.
d. Describe how you anticipate your action(s) will affect the situation.
A proactive solution would be to establish a procedure for students from the beginning of the year in which they require a signature at the end of each lab period (either each group or each individual) in order to "check out." This will signify that their lab station is cleaned up, and things are put away. Without this signature, there will be a five point (or whatever is appropriate) deduction in the lab grade. This could be used for just about any grade level, though for a lower grade, some extrinsic motivation other than a grade may be appropriate, such as a "perfect lab check-out" prize. We would hope that this will establish clean-up as some easy points in the beginning of the year, and will become second-nature as part of a lab period as the year goes on.
A reactive solution would be to tell students that they aren't playing by the rules and are being punished by having the privilege of labs taken away.
Solution Consequences
Before you act to address a classroom situation, you have to anticipate possible consequences of your actions.
Use this section to spell out some of these effects:
a. How will you action be perceived by your students?
We don't think that students will perceive this negatively, especially since it's being presented at the beginning of the year, and if it is presented enthusiastically as "easy points," they may appreciate it. Also, it's not an unreasonable request, and the teacher should explain reasoning behind this so it does not appear unreasonable. Also, "How would you feel if you came in the lab and found your lab bench to be a mess?"
b. How will your action affect the learning climate in your classroom?
It should make it safer, more efficient, run more smoothly, since students are aware of the procedures right from the beginning.
c. What might your students learn from your action? (Be sure to note both positive and negative lessons.)
Students could learn responsibility, respect for other's property, respect for the teacher's time, how to take ownership of the classroom. (positive)
Students could learn that they have incentive to clean up, and that if they don't have this incentive, then why would they clean up after themselves? You may also